Digital Horizons
by H0rizons
Summary: Two friends who loved playing Elder Tale find themselves trapped in the game. It'll be hard to adjust and even harder to figure out what they're even doing in the game to start, but with the help from some likely and unlikely people they just might find out that "getting out" of this world shouldn't necessarily be their main priority. (Two OC characters)
1. Character Analysis

**FEEL FREE TO SKIP IF YOU SEE THIS AS UNIMPORTANT**

**A/N: Just wanted to get this done and over with. I'll be doing some characterization and descriptions of my OC's here before I start off the story. I'll be leaning towards the anime storyline as well. Just clarifying those aspects before I begin.**** I will be dedicating this entire chapter strictly to introduction though, so if you don't feel that this is interesting or relevant, feel free to skip ahead and just use this as reference if my characters act a certain way and you don't understand. Also, many of the items and equipment are completely made up. as well as skills.**

**Name: **Akashi

**Gender:** Male

**Age:** 18 (Has been playing Elder Tale for approximately 3 years prior to the Catastrophe)

**Physical Description: **He has dark black hair that is spiked a bit all around his head except for certain areas of his forehead where there are clear spots (Mainly for seeing.) Along with this he has maroon colored eyes and a somewhat thin long face. No facial hair, but has a fairly flat-like nose. He's decently built and about 5' 10" in Elder Tale and in real life, although most of his muscular build is purely fictional.

**Class:** Guardian (Lvl 90)

**Subclass**: Border Patrol (Lvl 80)

**Race:** Wolf Fang

**Guild**: None

**HP**: 14238

**MP**: 7119

**Personality:** Starting off in his early years, Akashi was an ambitious player who strived to be the best in the world. But as years went by his dreams faded slightly as he soon became one of the top players, but not the best. Now Sporting a laid back personality, Akashi goes through different instances where he's going from full out 100% to as laid back as a rock. He also has a tendency to complain a lot and keep to himself with thoughts. Smarter and intellectual people intrigue him as well as he has an odd hobby of analyzing other people based off of their actions, looks, or facial expressions. He also tends to be socially awkward at times, enjoying the sidelines of conversations rather then dominating them. Also has a deep voice that tends to throw people off to think that he's older than 18.

**Additional Info: **In real life he can cook amazingly, but lacks the abilities in Elder Tale. Can be very resourceful, using his environments around him to his advantage. Although he's a Guardian and mainly tanks for people, he's always consistently seen complaining.

**Gear**:

-Sword of the Abyss - A level 90 phantasmal class 2 handed sword. Black as the night itself from the hilt to the tip of it's blade, the sword itself boasts no impressive stats, but as battles progress, the sword temporarily boosts overall stats of the wielder by 2% every 30 seconds.

-Sentinel's Might- An Artifact class set of high degree armor that has an active. Once activated, the use remains invincible for 30 seconds, but also taunts all enemies in the surrounding area. In turn the user's Attack Damage is reduced by 30% for the period of 30 seconds. Can only be used once every 24 hours. Other than those aspects, the armor itself boosts overall stats by a percentage based on level.

-Sovereign's Blessed Ring- Uncommon production class ring that lowers cooldown of abilities by 10% consecutively per enemy during a battle in about a 20 meter radius. Initial cooldown reduction is 10%

* * *

**Name: **Nami

**Gender:** Female

**Age:** 19 (Has been playing Elder Tale for approximately 4 years prior to the Catastrophe)

**Physical Description: **Light Brown Hair the is normally straightened and sometimes kept braided behind her back. It stretches to about her lower back. Soft green eyes as well as being seen as one of the prettiest made avatars in the game. Slender and about 5'8" with a smaller body then most girls. As far as how she's dressed, it is fairly average compared to that of most assassins being that she doesn't opt to wear dark clothing.

**Class:** Assassin (Lvl 90)

**Subclass**: Physician (Lvl 90)

**Race:** Human

**Guild**: None

**HP**: 9418

**MP**: 8241

**Personality: **Generally shy around others, Nami only really opens up when she gets to know someone for awhile. She's lighthearted and easy to forgive since she too makes an abundance of mistakes when doing activities around. Along with her easygoing ways, she is a very intense person when it comes to setting and achieving goals for herself despite her initial outlook. When it comes to other men fawning over her, it usually ends up with her politely declining most, if not all, of their offers since she's used to such scenarios. She also has one younger sister in real life that's almost the complete opposite of her.

**Additional Info: **Is a terrible chef in real life. Studies as a pre-med student, which means she's insanely smart. Owns a cat named Kyoshi in real life and tends to pull references from her past experiences with it. Lives with her family despite being in college.

**Gear**:

-Wind's Embrace- Rare and almost unseen Artifact class bow that holds one of the few longest ranges in the game, only coming up short against phantasmal class bows, this bow allows the user to curve their arrows mid flight, expending a large percentage of mana though for how long and how far the arrow is redirected.

-Chameleon's Cloak- A phantasmal class outfit for lvl 80 or higher. Although normally used for fashion being used to alter someone's clothing to match what they please since it has access to almost every outfit in the game, it can also be used to blend into surroundings to render the user near invisible. Is mostly for show since it does not give the stats of the actual outfits used, but generally raises base stats by 5% at all given times.

-Elemental Shots- High production class arrows that are quite expensive to purchase and create. Allow the user to change what type of magic to unleash upon the enemy being hit by the arrow. Mana costs vary depending on what type of magic damage used to the intensity of the magic.


	2. Chapter 1: It All Began Here

**Chapter 1: It All Began Here**

Akashi slowly opened his eyes, squinting has he did so his eyes could adjust to the light that seeped down from the trees above. _When did I get here..._ he thought as he now fully opened his eyes to see that he was laying underneath a large and very familiar tree. _What is the place?_ he asked himself as he sat up and brushed some tufts of grass off of his head before looking around. All around him were other people as well, all of them with looks of confusion and bewilderment on their faces as well.

"Hello? Hello? How did we get here?" called out a few voices to no one in particular as Akashi stood up and gave a look around at his environment. For the most part, Akashi was more perplexed rather then concerned with his current situation. It was almost entertaining for him to find himself in such a predicament as to not know anything about what was going on.

"From the looks of it we're in Elder Tale," called out a voice as soon as Akashi had started to examine his body, finding that he wasn't in _his_ body, but instead in someone else's body. Maybe he wouldn't call it someone else's body, but it was definitely not his. At the suggestion being called out, Akashi shrugged to himself at the thought of being stuck in the game. I mean it was the last thing he could remember doing and besides that, a lot of events had occurred leading up to this that, now looking back at, could not have been coincidences.

Like the fact that the update for Elder Tale was today. It came with new zones, new items, new bosses, a new level cap, and a whole lot more. The environment as well was very familiar. The trees hanging over the seemingly abandoned city that surrounded the "players" as well as what the "players" looked like. Each of them wore recognizable armor or equipment from Elder Tale. It was almost as if... well... someone took a bunch of people and dropped them into this game.

Akashi scratched his head as he mulled through what he called _evidence_ before deciding to go for the ultimate test. _If this really is Elder Tale... then the menu should-_ He swiped his hand across in front of him and a menu opened up, but this wasn't just any menu. It was exactly identical to the one in Elder Tale.

"It is..." he gasped to himself as he took his other hand and start swiping through the menu, looking for the "log out" button, but after a few minutes he couldn't find it.

"That's weird," he grumbled as he continued to sift through the menu, but something suddenly caught his eye. It was coming from his contacts list. A name was shaking back and forth, signalling that there was a call incoming, but that wasn't what really caught his eye. It was the name that made him stop to remember. That name was Nami.

* * *

_Ring! Ring! Ring!_

Akashi blinked his eyes open as he heard his phone ring.

"Is it already time for class?" he mumbled sitting up and yawning before picking up his phone to check the time as well as shut off the alarm. But once he'd picked up the phone he noticed that there was some kind of mistake. The clock read 2:00am and the ringing wasn't his alarm, but was actually someone calling him.

"Who would bother calling me at a time like-"

His phone buzzed this time, notifying him that a text message had just been received. Scrunching up his eyebrows in irritation, Akashi opened his phone to see who in the right mind needed him at this hour.

_Hey there Akashi, it's your good ole friend Nami! Remember me? Ah but let's skip the introductions and cut to the chase. I need your help. Log onto Elder Tale right away and get that expansion pack! I'll contact you as soon as you log on! Cya in a few! Nami~_

Akashi blinked at the message a few times, his lips slowly turning into a frown as he re-read the message a few times. He glanced at the clock once more. 2:05 am it read. He sighed in exasperation before crawling out of bed, dragging his blanket along with him. After successfully getting out of bed, Akashi shuffled his way towards his computer and turned it on before plopping himself on the swivel chair, his blanked on top of him. He listened as the computer hummed to life before quickly entering in his password to login to his user.

After doing so he promptly opened Elder Tale and began to update it with the expansion pack, waiting for his phone to ring. A few minutes passed before his prediction was correct. His phone started to ring right as the clock hit 2:08am. He picked up and prepared for the worst, knowing all to well what was going to happen.

"GOOOOODMORNING SLEEPYHEAD!" blared the speakers as Akashi stretched his phone away from his ears to keep from going deaf, "HOW ARE YOU DOIN-"

The line went dead for a moment, which wasn't unusual since that wasn't actually Nami on the line. A few moments passed before the sound of the phone being picked up again was heard.

"Hello?" said Akashi as he squeezed his eyes shut, ready for any screaming to come out, but what he received the absolute opposite.

"H-hello?" said a softer voice from the other end in response to Akashi.

"Nami? Thank god it's you," asked Akashi as he gave a sigh of relief, glad in knowing the person he actually wanted to talk to was on the line, "You really must stop allowing your sister to pick up your cellphone. One of these days it's going to be an important call and-"

"That's besides the point," said Nami as sharply as she could, "I called you up so we could play Elder Tale right?"

"Well... yes, but I mean why at this time? Why so sudden?"

"I dunno, I just feel like there's something special about this expansion."

"You mean the level cap being raised?"

"Hmmm maybe?"

Silence fell upon the call after that comment for a minute or so. Akashi didn't bother responding, knowing that if Nami needed something she'd just say so. Instead he watched the progress bar slowly climb up the percentages. It was at 95% when Nami spoke up once more.

"Alright I'm going to start playing now. I'll invite you to a call once I'm all set up."

"Okay, see you on the other side," replied Akashi as he hung up and stretched. The progress bar had hit 100% and there but a few disclaimer question to answer before it allowed him to log in. Quickly breezing through the question, Akashi found himself at the login button, browsing around his small band of characters he had created over the years.

"Mmmmm I guess I can play this account," he said as he clicked on his original character, a level 90 Guardian named Akashi who was almost the spitting image of Akashi in real life. No sooner then when he'd clicked the button, Akashi vision started to blur and he found himself slowly nodding forward onto the table, unable to control his body he struggled in vain to keep up awake. Nonetheless he soon closed his eyes and blackness enveloped him.

* * *

Nami walked through the streets of Akiba, still slightly puzzled at how or why she'd all of a sudden appeared in the world of Elder Tale. She pouted a bit at the thought of that before smiling to herself that at least she'd successfully gotten contact with Akashi.

"I'm sure he'll have something to say about all of this," she mumbled as she looked left and right at all the equally confused people that were now starting to move about, trying to find out what exactly was going on. Nami continued to walk for a bit, trying to find her and Akashi's meeting spot, but she found it quite difficult to locate since walking to a destination was much different from clicking to one.

Not only were the surroundings and transportation different, Nami also found that she _was_ in fact, her avatar from Elder Tale. In her case she was an average height level 90 Assassin with straight long dirty blonde hair.

_Could've been much worse._ she giggled to herself as she looked down at the Ranger outfit she currently had her Chameleon's Cloak set to. Another significant aspect Nami noticed was that she also had her weapon from the game as well although this really wasn't a surprise to her then after all she'd seen so far. Pulling her bow free from across her shoulder, she examined the blue-like longbow with reverence.

"I'd never thought I'd be holding a bow this beautifu- oof!" Nami was knocked to the ground she suddenly as she accidentally bumped into someone.

"Oye! Shiroe! Watch where your going!" sighed a voice from above as Nami opened her eyes and looked up to see two men and what she thought to be a young girl, looking down at her.

"Ah, sorry," mumbled the one man in glasses, whom Nami assumed to be Shiroe, as he bent down and held out his hand, "I'm sorry for being so clumsy. I'm still getting used to being so tall."

Nami blinked at him in utter confusion before taking his hand and standing up. Besides her the young girl seemed to glower at the fact she had held onto Shiroe's hand.

"Uhm... thankyou.. I suppose," replied Nami as she smiled at the three of them, unsure of what to say, "Ah... my name is Nami, what's yours?"

"I'm Shiroe, Naotsugu is the guardian to my left, and Akatsuki is the Assassin to my right," said Shiroe as he smiled kindly at Nami before perking up his glasses. Nami examined the trio, noticing immediately that all three of them were level 90 and seemed to be experienced players.

"Ah.. It's been a-"

"Nice to meetcha!" exclaimed Naotsugu as held out his hand for Nami to shake, abruptly cutting her off, "I like panties, but I hope that doesn't get in the way with me being friends with ya!"

Nami was taken aback by his forwardness and was rendered speechless at his remark. Beside her Akatsuki seethed with an aura of anger, which just proved to further confuse her. And to top it all off, Shiroe was acting as if all of this occurred commonly, ignoring it as if it was nothing.

A few seconds passed before Nami shook his hand and nodded as well. As soon as Naotsugu pulled back, she heard Shiroe say "Why must you do that to everyone we meet?"

"You know I can-"

"Because there are two types of perverts Shiroe!," he replied in a not so hushed voice, "There are the open perverts and the closed up perverts. You, Shiroe, are sadly the latter!"

Nami blinked a few more times as he mind registered what Naotsugu had just stated to Shiroe. It was official, this small trio was quite... different to say at the least. Checking the time as well, Nami also realized that if she waited any longer she'd be making Akashi wait.

"Ah, well it's been a pleasure to meet you all!" exclaimed Nami as she clapped her hands together and smiled, "But I must get going now. I have someone to meet up with, but I'm sure we can chat later."

With a quick wave goodbye, Nami scurried away, only bothering to add Shiroe to her friend's list since he seemed to be the only competent one of the three. _My my, such odd people..._ she thought to herself as she once again made her ways through the streets of Akiba.

* * *

"So we're stuck here?" asked Akashi as he leaned against the ledge of the building, sharpening his sword the a rock he'd found. The pair were now atop their usual hideout in Akiba. The place where they almost always stopped before and after quests or missions or raids. It wasn't anything special though, just an empty roof they'd found of a still standing building. It served as a nice place to overlook the city and it wasn't owned by anyone so the two decided to purchase the area as their own.

"Essentially," replied Nami as she plucked at the strings of her bow, her eyes gazing over the city itself which was now bustling with people racing back and forth, trying to find their friends and fellow guild members.

"Pick up any clues as to what's going on?"

"Not really... I did meet a trio of people though."

"Oh really? You catch their names?"

"Mhmmm... Shiroe, Akatsuki, and Naotsugu. All level 90 and all seemingly competent as far as the game itself even though that Naotsugu seems like a pervert..."

"Already making friends I see," laughed Akashi as he put down his sword and stretched a bit before leaning back and staring up at the sun, "You do know ho Shiroe is... right?"

"Wasn't he some kind of important strategist? I don't know... I wasn't really one to pay attention to the gossip."

"A girl? Not paying attention to gossip? Well that's a surp-"

"Just cut to the chase."

"Well you see... he may be our ticket out of here."

"What do you mean?"

"Well... What can I say? He's an amazing strategist and overall player. I heard he's an engineer in the real world too. Some smart stuff if you ask me."

"Well that's not helpful currently..."

"Hey you never know."

"Well..." replied Nami once more before letting out a sigh, "We're stuck here in this _game_ and that's that. There's nothing more, nothing less. I mean there are still many things to figure out about... well everything. This Shiroe guy too... he seems like someone that we should stick with, but for now we can say this for sure. We're not in our own world anymore."

* * *

**A/N: End of Chapter 1. Sorry if it's so repetitive and like... you all know what the anime is like as well as the manga. I just wanted to do this so as to not really hit the ground running. Chapter 2 will get into more of what I like to call my story since this chapter was all introduction, but until then have a nice night everyone. Also, if I made any contextual, grammatical, or just any errors in general, please do tell me since I'll gladly fix them.**


	3. Chapter 2: Loneliness

**Chapter 2: Loneliness**

"Nami! Hurry hurry! I've got something to show you!" squeaked Nami's younger sister, Aya as she poked her head in between the doors of Nami's bedroom to find her older sister sitting on the computer playing Elder Tale with little to no clothes on.

"Oye, Didn't we make a promise for you to leave me be on my birthday?" sighed Nami as she quickly entered a city in the game to keep from being PKed. Turning to her younger sister she put her hands to her hips and frowned disapprovingly. Almost as if Aya had done something entirely rude and embarrassing to her sister, who was 2 years older.

"Sorry sis but this is important! You'll love it!" giggled Aya as she hopped up and down before closing the door once more.

"Get some clothes on and meet me in the kitchen!" she called back as Nami heard her scramble down the hallway that lead to the kitchen. _Sheesh..._ thought Nami as she stretched a bit and checked the time. 6:00pm was the time. _Man I've been playing for 6 hours straight already?_ she thought with a smirk before quickly logging out of Elder Tale.

"Well it can't be helped I suppose," she said whilst gingerly closing her laptop and looking around at her room. Clothes, empty soda cans, bags of chips, and energy bars lay strewn everywhere around her. Wrinkling up her nose, Nami had finally started to notice how dirty her room was. _Time to get to work then..._ she thought as she sifted through the stuff, trying to find a clean t-shirt to wear. She was, in fact, only wearing her undergarments currently. It didn't really matter to her what she wore while playing Elder Tale, so long as it was comfortable.

Minutes passed before she found a suitable t-shirt. The text on it said _Elder Tale Convention 2016_.

"Oh the memories," she laughed before slipping the shirt on and grabbing a pair of shorts. Tying up her dirty blonde hair into a ponytail, Nami decided to put her feet to work as well by shoving all the trash to the side in order to make a clearly defined path from her doorway to her computer.

"That outta do it," she said once she'd finished, gazing over her attempt at cleaning her room. She was about to take a picture and send it to her friend when a call was heard from the kitchen.

"Nami!"

"Coming!" she replied before snapping a quick picture of her room and leaving. She opened the door to find the usually bright and cheerful hallway of her house completely dark. _Weird..._ she thought as she pondered on what was going on, being that it was unusual for her house to be so grim looking.

"If this is some kind of set up for a party Aya," she yelled down the hallway, "You know Mom and Dad are away on a trip!"

"I know! It's not though!" she replied rather quickly. Shaking her head, Nami made her way down the hallway towards the kitchen, which seemed to be the only place currently illuminated in the house. Nami walked on, but when she was about to turn around the corner a bright light flashed from the room, momentarily blinding Nami. In the midst of the flash of light, Nami could her voices.

"Happy Birthday!" the voices yelled in excitement as the light died down and Nami adjusted her eyes once more. Immediately in front of her she saw a large birthday cake being held by none other than her father with her mother at his side. Off to the right of them stood Aya, grinning from ear to ear.

"I... I don't know what to say," exclaimed Nami with a grin as she looked back and forth from her parents to the cake and finally to her sister.

"You don't have to say anything," replied her Father, whose voice had suddenly changed to something darker, his eyes narrowing now along with a frown forming upon his face.

"What do you mean Dad?" asked Nami taking a step forward, her hand reaching out in hopes of bringing back his lighthearted mood. In response to that her father simply laughed mockingly before dropping the cake onto the floor.

"Oops," he said as Nami's mother reached down to pick up the cake, but was kicked down by her father. Nami took a step back as she watched her mother collapse to the floor, doing nothing but fidgeting slightly.

"Mom!" called both sisters in unison as they advanced a bit but were swept back by an enraged fist from their father.

"Stay down you bitch!" he roared down at their mother before turning to Nami and grinning, "And you..."

He slowly approached Nami as she backed up and out of the entry to the kitchen. The desperate plees and cries from Aya ignored.

"You useless little shit!" he said as he picked up Nami by her shirt and held her up to his face, close enough so that she could see the hatred in his eyes, "I outta teach you a lesson... and a good one at that."

"No Dad! Please stop! Sis didn't do any-" squealed Aya as she ran up to her father and started pounding her fists upon his back in a desperate attempt to spare her sister from his rage.

"Shut up!" he yelled as he shoved Aya away before he turned his attention back to Nami, "I hope you've had a good time with your life doing NOTHING!"

He then pinned her to the wall and raised his fist, ready to swing. Nami gulped and struggled to get free, but it was all in vain. No sooner had the fist been raised then it came down upon Nami. A brief split second of pain was felt before Nami blacked out completely...

* * *

"Aaaah!" cried Nami as she sat up, tears in her eyes, "What the...oh..."

She blinked as she felt a tear slide down her face. Taking a deep breathe she looked around her surroundings, realizing where she was. _That's right... I'm the game Elder Tale now... away from that wretched man I used to call Dad..._ she thought to herself as she glanced over to the far side of the roof she was sleeping on. In the corner curled up like a cat was Akashi, sleeping as soundly as ever.

_Jeez, being a race like Wolf Fang must make you sleep like that now... _thought Nami with a smile as she stood up and gazed at the moon, _I don't suppose he'll mind if I take some time for a walk..._

It had been about a month since about 30,000 Japanese players had been sucked into the world of Elder Tale, Nami and Akashi included. Everyone, generally, had gotten used to living out their lives with but a few problems here and there. Along with that were the exploits of Shiroe and company. Nami had kept somewhat in contact with the strange enchanter, being that he was well known all around as some kind of famous strategist. Nami really hadn't heard of him, but still appreciated the fact that he didn't deny her questions about how Elder Tale and how people are handling the transition into it. According to some of her contacts, Shiroe had apparently just returned from a trip to Susukino. The situation was evidently quite bad there...

Nami sighed as she continued to ponder on the events that had occurred in the past month. Sitting atop an even taller abandoned building that overlooked the city, Nami clutched her legs as she pressed her thighs closer to her chest. _What to do what to do..._

A sudden blur of movement out of the corner of her eye cut of her train of thought however, as she suddenly rolled forward farther onto the ledge of the building and rose, bow lifted and arrow notched.

"Whose there?" she called as she pointed the arrow here and there, unsure of what had caused the disturbance.

"You took my spot," came a girl-like voice from the shadows as a young girl stepped out into the light, but this girl was one that Nami recognized.

"Oh... it's just you," sighed Nami as she lowered her bow and un-notched her arrow, "You're the person that always travels with Shiroe right?"

"Yes, my name is Akatsuki in case you forgot," replied Akatsuki sharply as she walked forward and pushed Nami aside from the ledge before assuming a meditative position at the very edge, "And this is where I usually sit here and meditate. You took my spot."

"Oh... sorry," coughed Nami shyly before she sat down behind Akatsuki, analyzing her stats. _Another Assassin... _ she thought as she examined the equipment Akatsuki had. This process only took but a few moments though and before Nami knew it, she was extremely bored.

Tapping her foot on the ground she looked back and forth, unsure of what to do. She couldn't really think about serious topics anymore being that Akatsuki had interrupted her deep mindset earlier.

"So... mmm why are you out here so late?" asked Nami after a few minutes of pacing around the room, "I mean... no one else is really up and about at this hour."

She saw the small assassin tense a bit at her question before relaxing.

"I'm here to meditate and keep watch over my lord," replied Akatsuki formally as she pointed a finger downwards at the base of the building. Nami, curious of what she was pointing at, peered down to see a small campfire sitting at the base of the building.

"Your lord?" asked Nami curiously as she glanced over at the girl, "Do you mean Shiroe?"

A nod was the only response from Akatsuki as all conversation ceased for a few minutes.

"So what do you make of our situation here?" asked Nami casually after a few minutes had passed. Akatsuki opened her eyes and looked over to Nami, her eyes filled with some darkness that Nami couldn't point out.

"I am making due with what I have to work with as of now," replied Akatsuki as she stood up and turned her attention towards the moon, "But I'm sure my lord will figure some way to return us to our normal lives."

"What if we don't want to return?" replied Nami as she gazed down below, her head resting upon the palms of her hands, "I mean... this world isn't all that bad and besides... limitations in the real world aren't even considered here. We can jump higher, fight better, and practically live forever!"

In response to that Akatsuki just shook her head with a sigh, unsure of what to say. Nami blinked once or twice at Akatsuki before shrugging.

"It was just a thought. You don't have to take my words as law. I'm just throwing out... ideas... well it's getting sort of late... I better get going.."

Nami nodded her goodbye to Akatsuki before playfully rolling off the edge of the building and gracefully landing at a nearby ledge before leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Akatsuki watched as she went, her eyebrows scrunching together with a sense of curiousness and confusion.

"She's not like you and I," said Shiroe from the doorway of the rooftop as he came out of the shadows.

"My lord?" replied Akatsuki as she turned questioningly to Shiroe.

"I'm not genius at this... but I feel as though she's one of the few... if not many that play this game to escape."

"Escape, my lord?"

"Yes. I'm no expert at this so let's just leave it at that Akatsuki," smiled Shiroe as he turned to walk down the stairs, "We have important business to attend to tomorrow."

* * *

Nami landed on the roof quietly, trying not to make the slightest sound upon landing. Looking around to make sure no one was there, she started to walk back towards the place where she had slept.

"And just where were you?" came a deep voice from her right. Nami turned to see Akashi leaning against the wall, his faced holding his usual bored look on it as he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well?"

"I went for a walk." she replied curtly.

"Anything wrong? I can try and help you know."

"No. Not anymore."

An unsettling silence fell upon the two as Akashi stared at Nami for a moment before shrugging. Deciding it was best for the both of them, Akashi went back over to his sleeping area and curled up once more, his Wolf Fang instincts kicking in. Nami watched as he did so before she to lay down to get some rest. _Well tonight was... interesting to say at the least_ she though to herself as she looked towards the stars of the virtual world, _I'm sure there are other people who feel the same as me though... maybe not Akatsuki or Shiroe... but they haven't gone through what i've gone through..._

* * *

**A/N: Okay, I know what some of you may be thinking that this chapter was completely off topic and random, but I can assure you that this will be important for later chapters. It's just for character development and such since I want to give more motives and reasonings behind actions characters take in this story. Any questions or suggestions, feel free to ask. I'm open to many things as well as corrections of my grammatical or spelling mistakes.**


	4. Chapter 3: Connections

**Chapter 3: ****Connections**

Akashi sighed with happiness as he felt the warmth of the sun above simply warming him. He lay comfortably in a pile of straw he'd found whilst wandering the world of Elder Tale in search of items and weapons. Deciding to relax for a bit, he took a quick nap and had just now woken up from it.

Shifting a little bit in his pile, he sighed once more as he picked a piece of straw and stuck it in his mouth, chewing on it slightly. _So relaxing..._ he thought with a smile to himself, _I could really get used to living out my life here... I mean what's there to complain_ about?

As if to answer his question, suddenly a shadow fell upon Akashi's face and he scrunched up his eyebrow's in displeasure before cracking an eye open to see what was blocking his oh so nice sun. Unsurprisingly he found that it was nothing but a small cloud casually passing overhead. Closing his eyes once more for a moment, Akashi decided it was time to get up and about. Lazing around for too long would just get him yelled at if Nami spotted him.

With a slight groan of regret from leaving his soft straw, Akashi stood up and stretched. His armor creaking slightly at the sudden movement of it's owner.

"Jeez, the only problem with laying in straw is that you get all the pieces on your body," grumbled Akashi as he started to flick straw off of his body once he'd finished stretching, but out of the corner of his eye he noticed something or someone moving.

"Whose there?" he called out lazily as he stood up for a moment and scanned the area before returning to his straw picking. It was too much effort to go through the trouble of finding whoever or whatever was watching him. I mean Akashi was a guardian after all and not a weak one at that. He was level 90 and had all his gear with him.

A few minutes passed with Akashi simply grumbling to himself about straw before another dash of movement was seen from across the field. Frowning, Akashi ignored it once more and finished up his straw picking before setting off down the path.

As he walked he observed his surroundings and soon found that he was in an area where the People of the Land made their homes. _Huh... so it must've been a bunch of kids watching me. If i do recall... Nami did tell me a few weeks ago that she had heard the People of the Land were now much different then when Elder Tale was still a game. Having their own lives, personalities, interests, and hobbies. It was almost as if they were a reflection of regular human beings._

Akashi scratched his head and yawned as he walked on. All the thinking he'd just done was making him a bit sleepy. _god I am really growing lazier by the day__  
_

Another movement, this time it was to his right and much closer. Close enough for Akashi to see that it wasn't a Person of the Land. Even so, Akashi didn't bat an eyelash at the sudden movements, confident enough to continue to move on without stopping for caution.

He walked on for the next hour until he had located a small village where the People of the Land resided. As he entered the village he was greeted with a warm reception since the people there didn't really see Adventurers much at all. The children crowded around him and poked at his armor whilst the adults scolded them before apologizing quickly and dragging the kids away.

"Oh it's not any trouble at all," smiled Akashi as he watched the kids get ushered away, "I quite enjoy their company anyways."

"Oh but they are but mere children interfering with your goals," spoke the an old man as he walked up to Akashi, staff in hand, "Welcome to my village brave Adventurer, my name is Cain. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine," replied Akashi smoothly as he a gave a small smile, greatly intrigued by how different these People of the Land were from the game's version.

"So what brings you here Adventurer?" asked Cain as he turned to walk back towards what seemed to be his home, his staff clacking against the ground with each step.

"I'm here just to search the area for any useful equipment I may need for future trips," replied Akashi as she followed the old man.

"I see... and have you located any of these items?" asked Cain as he opened the door for Akashi and beckoned him in.

"Unfortunately no," replied Akashi as he nodded his thanks before walking into the homely interior of the building, "This is quite a nice place you have here."

"Why thank you," smiled Cain as he followed Akashi in and made his way to the small fireplace set in the corner. Sitting down in a rocking chair in front of it, he began to rock back and forth. An awkward silence fell upon the room as Akashi shifted uncomfortably, not sure of what to say

"Ah... well if there is nothing else you want to discuss, then I must be going."

"Ah... please don't go," said Cain as he turned back to Akashi, "The sun is setting and what would be said of our reputation if we don't show our hospitality?"

"Ah you really shouldn't-"

"Oh no I insist. The children seem to enjoy your company," He gestured towards the window where a few kids were looking at Akashi with smiles, "They rarely ever get young men and women visiting our village ever since ours left..."

"What do you mean?" asked Akashi, curious at what the man was saying. In reply, Cain simply shook his head before patting the chair beside him.

"Please be seated Adventurer, It is a lengthy story that may take some time to tell. That is if you're willing to stay to hear it."

Akashi frowned at Cain's offer but reluctantly obliged and sat down in the chair. It really couldn't hurt to listen to his story. Besides this was a once in a lifetime opportunity in a way.

* * *

Akashi lay in the bed lent to him by the villagers. Staring up at the ceiling, he couldn't help but contemplate what the elder of the village had told him.

_No wonder there was such an age difference between the children and the adults... All the young adults and teenagers had gone and left for some sort of war that had occurred before the adventurer's had been mysteriously dropped here a few months ago..._

Akashi sighed as he closed his eyes, shifting a bit to try and get comfortable in his bed. It was hard to sleep though, so many questions filled his head about the war, the other teenagers, and how it all must've tied into the fact that the players had been dropped here for a reason.

_Well nothing I can do now besides sleep..._ thought Akashi as he started to clear his mind of all his worries and focus on trying to sleep, but a sudden piercing shriek followed by the smashing sound of wood made Akashi snap open his eyes and jump from his bed.

"What's going on?" he asked aloud as he whipped his head back and forth wildly, looking for the source of the yell. He continuously looked until his gaze fell upon the window that gave a view of the center of town. Outside some older men were shuffling about with torches and weapons. They were yelling and screaming almost as if trying to scare something away. Akashi furrowed his eyebrows in displeasure before quickly putting on his armor and running out of the guest room, sword in hand.

He quickly jogged down the numerous hallways that made up the building, opening his menu as he did. He nimbly scrolled through his contacts until he found Nami though he hesitated before clicking the name.

"Man she's going to hate me for this," he groaned as he put his hand up to his ear, ready for her to pick up. A few rings went by before the sound of Nami's sleepy voice came up.

"H-hello?" she said groggily as Akashi slipped out the back entrance to the building where he heard the yelling gradually get louder as it was now mixed with the snarling and barking of some kind of monster.

"I've got a problem," replied Akashi as he peered around to see the townspeople now cowering in fear as the tried to fend off the dark shadows that circled them, "I think... I don't know Nami."

"What is it? spit it out" replied Nami as she started to wake up now, hearing the worry in Akashi's voice.

"New mobs... My menu says that they're called Demonic Hellhounds, each level 70 and I got a read on about a full pack of 15," replied Akashi as he gulped out of nervousness, "I'm going to need your help..."

"I'll be there, just... just hold on," came Nami's curt reply before she hung up, leaving Akashi alone. He'd forgetten to tell her about the townspeople, but details would have to wait until later.

Drawing his sword, Sword of the Abyss, Akashi gave a yell towards the wolves.

"Hey! Uglies! Yeah you! Why dontcha pick on someone your own size!" roared Akashi as he charged closer into the clearing before spinning his sword and slamming it straight into the ground, "Anchor's Howl!"

A green pulsating light radiated from Akashi's body as all the beasts turned their attention toward him, each of them snarling and gnashing their teeth. From up close the demonic hellhounds were even more frightening. Each packed with razor sharp teeth that could shred through flesh, beady yellow eyes that seemed to always follow you everywhere, and a matted fur that seems to always be wet with blood.

"Damn, these guys must be from the new expansion pack," murmured Akashi as the pack closed in on him, "I don't recognize any of their stats..."

"No Adventurer!" cried out the men, "You'll die if you face them! Just drop your weapon and we'll handle the rest!"

"What are you crazy!?" screamed Akashi as he sidestepped the first hound that launched at him and slashed a thin cut into its side. On Akashi HUD, he saw a counter begin from 30 seconds down. _Great, my sword's abilties are kicking in... now to just hold off until Nami gets here_...

"They're not here to kill us! They're here for our offering!" yelled the men back at Akashi.

"What are you talking about!" boomed Akashi as he rolled out of the way of another hound before slashing at it's hind legs, "Tsk. Just back off and leave it to me!"

With that last comment Akashi charged, but he knew that Anchor's Howl only had but a few seconds left on it and that once it was over the hounds would most likely turn their attention back to the townspeople. But what happened next surprised him even more.

As Akashi went to slash at another hound, he saw the townspeople spread apart from their tight formation to reveal a tied up girl of about 18 yerars old. But before Akashi could even react to what he'd seen, one of the hounds bounded up to the girl and snatched her up in its jaws before shoving its way back out of the crowd. With that being done, the rest of the hounds all let out their final snarls at Akashi before also bounding away.

Akashi watched in stunned silence as the hounds left before he turned to the townsfolk.

"What the hell is going on here?!" he demanded as he stood up straight from his fighting stance and marched over to the people, sword gripped tightly in his hand, "_What_ exactly, have you not been telling me?!"

His eyes surveyed the townsfolk as they blazed with rage. His confusion and mixed emotions of what had happened were almost too much to control.

"N-now you see Adventurer... we.. we didn't want to-"

"Didn't want to WHAT?!" boomed Akashi as he narrowed his eyes and advanced a step towards the man that had said that, "You had told me there was a war... an unheard of war where all your teens had been sent to fight. Is... is THIS what you were trying to hide?! Eh?!"

Silence fell at his question. Akashi gritted his teeth at the fact no one responded before he took a deep breathe and sheathed his sword. Behind him he heard Nami approaching.

"You all have answers to give," said Akashi as his now hardened gaze looked upon the crowd present in front of him, "And you are either going to give me those answers or be be-headed on the spot."

To add even more emphasis to his statement, Akashi drew his sword from his back and hurled it down in front of him. The crowd lurched to the sides in panic as the sword swept down into the ground, imbedding itself in the dirt.

"Do I make myself clear?"

* * *

**A/N: Akashi backstory is also a bit tragic. Has to do with morals and kidnapping if you hadn't guessed already. He too will have numerous flashbacks in later chapters, but for now we end here since his story is much longer than Nami's (who we will come back to.) I intend on tagteaming this duo as far as backstories sorta. I won't make any drastic tag teams though where suddenly I'm on a whole new quest all about Nami instead of Akashi.**


End file.
